Must Visit Wine Regions in Australia

Australian Wine is some of the most renowned on earth. Seriously though I am writing this while drinking wine from Wirra Wirra, thank goodness for Churchblock (a red blend that’s to die for).

With varietals such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Semillon and Riesling to name a few, there is wine for everyone to drink in Australia. It’s even easy to find a wine for even the pickiest or snobby person.

Australia exports 750 MILLION LITRES of wine a year. That’s enough to fill 300 Olympic Swimming pools, but why would you do that with precious wine… I guess I’d swim in a pool filled with wine.

So here are in my opinion the must visit Wine Regions in Australia:

Lower Hunter Valley- AKA Pokolbin Region

Just a few hours drive from Sydney up towards Newcastle you go through the lovely and coveted Hunter Valley. Planted in the early 19th century the Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s best known regions. It is actually really large and it’s hard to see even close to enough vineyards while exploring, even over a weekend. You can choose from a number of winery tours

Iron Gate Winery is my favourite cellar door in Australia, solely due to the AMAZING wine that they produce!

My Winery Recommendation: Iron Gate

Why? Iron Gate wine is only available in the Hunter. With it’s rustic Spanish cellar door and wines that stand out from the rest it is a must try. Definitely try the line of Shiraz, I love the olive undertones of both the premium and reserve shiraz.

Others Wineries I Recommend: Audrey Wilkinson- Try the Rose

Audrey Wilkinson Winery!!

Best Place to Stay: Chateau Elaine at Old Hunter Valley

This Hotel is AMAZING. I was treated to a stay at Chateau Elaine for my birthday by my boyfriend a year ago and it was absolutely magical. The restaurant looks out over the golf course and serves great food from a steak centric menu. The rooms are all destination theme and we stayed in Cairo.

The Amazing Hunter Valley! Just look at those vineyards!

Other Tips:

Definitely check out the Hunter Valley Cheese Company, sitting adjacent to McGuigan Wines there are a variety of cheese plates and varieties available. I can’t recommend the goat cheese enough, it is seasoned with a slight spice and delightful!

McLaren Vale

South East of Adelaide through the winding roads and rolling hills you will find the perfection of McLaren Vale. It is approximately a 45-minute drive from Adelaide through awesome greenery. They are known fro sustainability and world class winemaking. We almost didn’t make it out here during our visit to Adelaide and I’m so glad we did. Honestly, I crave the wine from Wirra Wirra, hence my Churchblock reference earlier.

McLaren Vale is unique due to its proximity to the beach and this laidback and airiness transcends into the area. It is so peaceful.

Wirra Wirra is a must visit winery in Australia!

My Winery Recommendation: Wirra Wirra

Why? You can get Wirra Wirra wine around the world, even in small towns in other countries I’ve found this wine. But the cellar door is quaint, traditional and pretty. They also have some awesome wines that are cellar door only. I couldn’t get enough of the Moscato. It was perfect for the sunny day we were there.

Other Wineries to Visit:Chapel Hill! This is one of the original wineries from the region and is a thing of beauty. If you’re in the area you can’t go wrong.

Cheese, Cheese, Glorious Cheese! From Alexandrina Cheese Company!!

Other Tips:

Drive a little further south than McLaren Vale and eat your fill of cheese at Alexandrina Cheese. Not only is it one of the most reasonably priced cheese factories in Australia they make gorgeous, delicious cheese platters. You have to try the brie!

Barossa Valley

Almost everyone who drinks wine would probably have tried a wine from Barossa Valley. It fills the Australian Wine shelves at many local liquor stores. This region is formed around three distinct towns, Tununda, Angaston and Nuriootpa and the first two respectively are the most visited.

The amazing thing about this area is the large chateau style wineries, big events and tourist attractions like chocolate shops, boutique hotels and shopping.

Chateau Tanunda is one of the most beautiful wineries in the Barossa Valley region!

My Winery Recommendation: Penfolds

Why? The cellar door at Penfolds is not something to write home about, it is plain and decorated in their traditional red, black and white. However, the wine is fantastic and for the small tasting fee you get to try a large varieties of wine. I especially enjoyed the grandfather port which was over ten years old.

Other Wineries to Visit:Chateau Tanunda! This winery is one of the prettiest I’ve ever been to; the tasting room is beside barrels that seem to go on for days. You can wander through the lawn bowling ground and by the vineyards that sit in the shadow of the massive winery.

Chateau Tanunda Tasting Room! Love the Barrels!! #wineforever

Other Tips:

Go walk through the grounds at Jacobs Creek, they have some great walkways with some good views. You can also rent bikes there!

Grampians

The Grampians are not only an amazing hiking destination where you can walk up to the Pinnacle but also a well known wine region. There are quite a few wineries throughout the region.

My Winery Recommendation: Grampians Estate

Mudgee

Mudgee has some amazing wine. With over 35 cellar doors, this wine region sits a couple hours west of the Hunter Valley. From Sydney it’s a 3 hour and 30-minute drive through the fabulous Blue Mountains and Katoomba.

My Winery Recommendation: Hislop Wines

Definitely try the port at Hislop. I bought 4 bottles and couldn’t help it.

Margaret River

This is the one region that I’m adding that I haven’t been to. Though everyone says it’s absolutely amazing and I’ve drank enough wine form here to think it’s worth a visit if you are in Western Australia and Perth.

With so many regions you get gorgeous roads leading to kilometres of vineyards!

So that’s my list. Stay tuned for more upcoming posts on Australian Wine.

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